In the Philippines, caving is known as "spelunking", but spelunking is originally a term used in the United States and Canada while potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
A cave is “an underground void large enough for a person to get into.” Caving is the activity of physically entering a cave, for many reasons which includes expedition, survey and mapping, documentation or just the pure joy of the activity.
I think I enjoy caving than mountaineering. I still can't label myself as a true mountaineer because I still got a long way from being one. I have lots of training to undertake and I haven't experienced exploratory climbs, yet. I'm more of a tourist or hiker. However, nowadays, anyone can be a mountaineer. There are some people who call themselves "mountaineers' after climbing one up to three mountains. Although, I don't agree, I can't do anything because the mountaineering community is growing and it became a mainstream sport or hobby for the past 5 years. You can't stop the people who want to get away from the stress of the city, school and work alike, to hike mountains. Nowadays, everyone can be a mountaineer but not everyone can become a caver.
So my interest shifted from mountaineering to caving in the past months. Instead of hiking, I've been going to caving trips. We've been going to caves that aren't open to public, thus, I with my batchmates must protect its confidentiality. I might be posting photos now and in the future that won't have details on how to get to the location of the cave.
Like mountaineering, caving has the basics.
Mountaineering: Caving
Pre-climbing : Pre-caving
Post Climbing : Post Caving
LNT Principles: Minimum Impact Caving Code
Itinerary : Itinerary
The only difference is that in entering the cave, you walk in and out as a team. It's not an individual sport and every single part of the team has a role. Most importantly, the safety of everyone is the priority. When someone feels suffocated, feels dizzy or couldn't breath even if you just entered the cave, the team must turn around. When someone loses or drains his primary light (There are three lighting system, main, secondary and emergency light.), the group must turn around immediately. If the caving is exploratory, once you've reached a set time of turn around, everyone should go back.
This is because every caving trip has an RCO or the rescue call out form. It is the type of document submitted to the local authorites and the caving group's contacts in the city which has the power to deploy a rescue team which includes rescue cavers, the military, the local guides and many more to help the cavers who entered a particular cave get out. It's all because they weren't able to come out at the time indicated at the RCO. The contacts outside would automatically assume that something happened inside so not following the time written on the RCO can be such a hassle for the people outside and taking the RCO lightly could mean danger to the cavers going in, too.
1. There's no such thing us no destruction in entering a cave.
When a group enters a cave, it means "destruction". Thus, the only thing that can be done is how to minimize the impact upon entering because...
2. Whatever you do in a cave, stays there forever.
Once you stepped on a flowstone, your shoe or boot mark will stay there for God knows how long. If you break a speleothem, it'll not grow back for millions of years. If you urinate inside a cave, the smell will be there forever.
3. You can be the only people who can see a whole new world down below.
The inside of caves is really dark, very, very quiet, quite mysterious and most of the times unexplored. It is very hard to enter a cave without the proper equipment and expertise. Being the first ones to see the life and amazing structures inside a cave is a beauty to behold.
Carol Whalley, a cave explorer and photographer for 47 years said,
"I feel at home underground ... it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful it is ... we cavers must be the only ones, other than astronauts, who are aware of how sweet our lovely planet is.”
I always have an explorer inside of me and the thought of being part of the team who are like astronauts makes me so happy. I actually wanted to be an astronaut. When I was younger, stars amazes me the most. Now, I'm on my way to becoming an astronaut exploring my own planet thru the depths of unexplored caves and caverns.
Photo Credits: GEC Members (Ces Santiago, Mark Dia, Rap Rios, Lee Byron), Junard Bertulfo, Ulysis Latoza
Sources: 1 | 2
